


the dance before the disaster

by cecelestia



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: First Post, M/M, They deserved better, and there’s NO creepy shuichi here thank god, pregame saiouma, they are so out of character oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25786354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecelestia/pseuds/cecelestia
Summary: none of this will matter soon. their actions, emotions, and their whole existence will be wiped clean by a cynical company desperate for views.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	the dance before the disaster

none of this will matter soon. their actions, emotions, and their whole existence will be wiped clean by a cynical company desperate for views. 

and that is what makes it so tender. this moment will only exist between them. not the fabricated characters with barely believable backstories. this will exist between the real kokichi ouma and shuichi saihara, who will cherish it until it is wrenched out of their hands and they are left scrabbling for memories of a blurry face and soft hands.

a lilting melody drifts up to the cramped balcony. a waltz, shuichi realises as kokichi hums along with a breathy voice. he is perched at the edge while his legs swing back and forth, back and forth in an inane rhythm. god knows how many times shuichi had pleaded with him to come down but kokichi had just said he enjoys living on the edge like some character out of a stupid film they would watch together. it took shuichi a while to realise that nagging him just encouraged kokichi to find more ways to give shuichi a heart attack aged sixteen. he’s reminded of the time when kokichi played the knife game in his kitchen. he almost passed out in fear at the darting blade between kokichis nimble fingers. back and forth, back and forth. shuichi is so deep in thought he doesn’t realise kokichi has moved until a pale hand is thrust into his face. 

“dance with me.” he says as if it’s the most normal thing to do. 

shuichi just gazes at kokichi’s face shadowed by the moons pale glow. he almost looks ethereal - a trick of the light, flickering at the sides of your eyes like he’s not quite there. the music is slightly louder now and he can clearly hear the melancholic violin. 

“earth to shuichi?” he prompts after possibly minutes, hours of shuichi staring blankly at him. “what’s going on in that big brain of yours?”

“stop mocking me for having intellect.” shuichi grumbles, slightly resentful at the fact kokichi can read him so well when kokichi slips behind mask after mask. 

kokichi leans over him, feather light strands of hair tickling his face like pinpricks. a hand is sliding into his and he can feel the slight scratch of kokichis nails that he never bothers to trim as he is wrenched upwards. he stretches out his legs as he gets to his feet for the first time in hours, wincing at the ache. 

“alright there, old man shuichi?” he jokes. 

shuichi just halfheartedly kicks a leg in his vague direction just as he loses balance and stumbles closer to kokichi who catches him by the shoulder and giggles. kokichi starts to sway them in a beat of their own as they press together in a way they will blame on the minimal space even though it’s just the desire to be close. they are barely dancing, it’s more like grasping on to one another like a lifeline. they both can’t stop thinking that this will the last time before it crashes down like a burning building. 

it might just be the alcohol hit, which might explain shuichis sudden loss of balance but they feel more alive. what they do now barely matters. so they’ll do whatever they want. and maybe it’s just because of their shitty lives or self-destructive nature but even on the brink of what could be the worst decision of their lives they are careless. they are unchainable, unbreakable. the game can do its worst; they’re gonna make it hell for the mastermind. 

they continue dancing as kokichis hands hang loosely over shuichis shoulders and shuichi drops his head to kokichis like a dead weight. contentment lingers at the front of kokichis mind but he feels like he has endless questions, actions and dreams. he’ll never get to experience them. they’ve signed the documents and it’s the last day before he’ll lose this forever. something inside him crumbles just a bit at the thought and he recoils. shuichi looks confused and his hazy eyes show how far gone he is from two shots of vodka. 

“lightweight.” kokichi snorts to himself. shuichi doesn’t seem to notice he’s spoken. 

they stand close to each other, communicating so much through their eyes. and then it’s just so clear. there’s nothing they can do but edge closer and closer until their noses are brushing up against each another and shuichis breath is swirling round his head, dizzying. 

he can barely bring himself to do it. after all it’s just going to make it hurt more. but it’s only barely and the thought is pushed out in favor of the pure rush of joy he feels in this split second. 

he feels ghostly lips brush over his own and it’s crazy how much adrenaline he feels. he flinches as shuichi dips his head further, his judgment elsewhere. 

it’s clumsy and awful and faultless all at the same time. it’s too much but will never be enough for kokichi. they both know this is all they get so they pour every thought, every action, and every thing they’ve felt about each other into it. when they pull apart kokichi almost crumples at the knees. shuichi is looking at him with a softness that makes kokichi’s heart squeeze in a way he thinks shouldn’t be possible. he hates that this will be gone so soon, a momentary flicker of happiness before the mirage shatters. he wishes they had more time to be normal teenagers and have something easy and simple. he wants to show shuichi how much he means to him. he wants to love him and be loved.

it’s painfully obvious how they both feel though they never end up saying the words “i love you”. the words hold too much promise or heaviness for two dumb sad teenagers. 

they stand in silence. there’s nothing to say anymore. it’s a matter of hours before they will forget the significance of each other and everything they’ve shared. 

maybe they’ll get a second chance at this. a chance where they can have a simple relationship. where they aren’t pushing and pulling at emotions and heartstrings. where they can just live for themselves.

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah?? this is my first post so i hope this wasn’t too bad lmao. i’ve had saiou brainrot for months so i had to get this out. pregame is my least favourite so idk why i wrote this really lol.
> 
> the waltz is from the cat returns because studio ghibli is so nostalgic for me and it’s such a pretty piece of music :)


End file.
